Information processing device, information processing method, and program

ABSTRACT

Provided is an information processing device, an information processing method, and a program, the information processing device including a control unit that dynamically controls output of notification information related to a function corresponding to a gesture regarding function execution of the device based on a recognition status of an operation body that is executing the gesture in a predetermined operation region.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an information processing device, aninformation processing method, and a program.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, techniques of outputting a sound corresponding to anoperation onto a device or a state of the device have been developed.Patent Literature 1 discloses a technique of controlling output of asound that allows a user to recall an operation on the device and astate of the device.

CITATION LIST Patent Literature

Patent Literature 1: JP 2003-202877 A

SUMMARY Technical Problem

In a device that is operated by execution of a gesture by an operationbody such as a finger of a user, the user is not necessarily able toconfirm whether a type of gesture intended by the user is recognizedduring the execution of the gesture. Nevertheless, the techniquedescribed in Patent Literature 1 has no consideration of confirmation ofa recognition status of a gesture being executed.

Solution to Problem

According to the present disclosure, an information processing device isprovided that includes a control unit that dynamically controls outputof notification information related to a function corresponding to agesture regarding function execution of the device based on arecognition status of an operation body that is executing the gesture ina predetermined operation region.

Moreover, according to the present disclosure, an information processingmethod to be executed by a processor is provided that includesdynamically controlling output of notification information related to afunction corresponding to a gesture regarding function execution of adevice based on a recognition status of an operation body that isexecuting the gesture in a predetermined operation region.

Moreover, according to the present disclosure, a program is providedthat causes a computer to function as an information processing devicethat includes a control unit that dynamically controls output ofnotification information related to a function corresponding to agesture regarding function execution of the device based on arecognition status of an operation body that is executing the gesture ina predetermined operation region.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of an information processingterminal according to the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of an information processing terminal 10 according to thepresent embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of output control regardinga notification sound based on a type of a gesture, performed by acontrol unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of output control of anotification sound based on how many fingers of a user are being usedfor an operation, performed by the control unit 130 according to theembodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of output control of anotification sound based on a moving direction of an operation body,performed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of output control of anotification sound based on a moving direction of an operation body,performed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of output control of anotification sound based on a moving direction of an operation body,performed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a change in pitch anddensity of a notification sound by a single sound source according tothe embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of output control of anotification sound based on a comparison between a moving distance of anoperation body and a predetermined threshold, performed by the controlunit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operation regionaccording to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of output control of anotification sound corresponding to an operation region in which anoperation body is positioned, performed by the control unit 130according to the embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of output control of anotification sound when an operation body is predicted to move to theoutside of an operation region, performed by the control unit 130according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example of output control of anotification sound corresponding to each of operation regions, performedby the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of output volume control ofa notification sound corresponding to each of operation regions,performed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between anoperation body and a plurality of operation regions and output controlrelated to the positional relationship according to the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of output control of anotification sound related to a reference region, performed by thecontrol unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of output control of anotification sound related to a reference region whose position isarbitrarily determined, performed by the control unit 130 according tothe embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case where theoperation region according to the embodiment exists in a space.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of execution control offunctions related to the information processing terminal 10 based on adistance between an operation body and the information processingterminal 10 in a case where the distance is indicated as a recognitionstatus, performed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 20 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case where anoperation region by the control unit 130 according to the embodimentexists in a space.

FIG. 21 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow of operationsrelated to output control of a notification sound based on a comparisonbetween a moving distance of an operation body and a predeterminedthreshold, performed by the control unit 130 according to theembodiment.

FIG. 22 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow of operationsrelated to output control of a notification sound based on a type of agesture, performed by the control unit 130 according to the embodiment.

FIG. 23 is a diagram illustrating an example of a flow of operationsrelated to output control of a notification sound corresponding to anoperation region, performed by the control unit 130 according to theembodiment.

FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration exampleof an information processing terminal 10 according to an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In thepresent specification and the drawings, components having substantiallythe same functional configuration are denoted by the same referencenumerals, and redundant description is omitted.

Note that the description will be given in the following order.

1. Outline

2. Embodiment

2.1. Functional configuration examples

2.2. Specific examples

2.2.1. Specific example 1

2.2.2. Specific example 2

2.2.3. Specific example 3

2.2.4. Specific example 4

2.2.5. Specific example 5

2.2.6. Specific example 6

3. Operation examples

4. Hardware configuration example

5. Summary

1. Outline

First, an outline according to the present disclosure will be described.In recent years, there is a technology having been developed thatdirectly operates on an information processing terminal such asheadphones or earphones worn on ears of a user to output a sound,thereby allowing the terminal to execute a predetermined function. Thetechnology makes it possible to execute, for example, processes ofplaying or stopping music based on a touch operation on an informationprocessing terminal, which leads to the achievement of a simpleroperation not requiring another device.

In addition, in another technology that has been developed, in a casewhere the terminal includes a proximity sensor, a corresponding functionis executed based on a predetermined gesture executed by a user's handon a real space detectable by the proximity sensor. The technology makesit possible to, for example, execute processes such as volume controlbased on a change in a distance in real space between the terminal and ahand of the user, leading to the achievement of simpler operation notrequiring another device even in an earphone-type device on which directtouch operations would be difficult.

Unfortunately, however, the following situations might occur in theoperation of the terminal according to the above technology.

First, there might be a situation in which an operation on theheadphones or earphones worn on the user is executed at a positionvisually unrecognizable by the user, such as a side surface of theheadphones (housing surfaces). This would make it difficult for the userto confirm whether the gesture being executed has been executed asintended. As a result, in a case where the type of gesture differentfrom the gesture intended by the user is recognized by the terminal,there might be a situation in which the user notices that a differentgesture has been recognized at a stage where the function different fromthe function desired by the user has been executed.

Furthermore, the user cannot grasp in which region of an operable regionthe user's own hand is positioned within the visually unrecognizableregion. This leads to a situation in which the user cannot perform anintended operation. For example, in a case where the user starts a swipeoperation from an end of a housing surface when performing a swipeoperation in a predetermined direction on the housing surface having atouch panel in the headphones, there might occur a situation of havingdifficulty in performing an operation with a sufficient distance.Furthermore, in a case where the operation is performed based on agesture in the space, the user U is not in contact with the terminal,making it more difficult for the user to grasp at which position in thespace the user is performing the gesture.

The technical idea according to the present disclosure has beenconceived in view of the above points, and is intended to make itpossible to confirm success or failure of an operation or to perform awider variety of operations in a region visually unrecognizable by theuser.

Here, an outline of an information processing terminal 10 according tothe present disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG.1 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the information processingterminal according to the present disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates theinformation processing terminal 10 being headphones worn on a user U.

When the information processing terminal 10 has recognized apredetermined gesture operation in a region where an operation can beperformed on a housing surface by a hand H of the user U, which is anoperation body, the information processing terminal 10 executes afunction corresponding to the recognized operation. Here, theinformation processing terminal 10 can notify information related to afunction corresponding to a gesture operation based on a recognitionstatus of an operation body that is executing a predetermined gestureoperation. Here, in the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the notificationof the information can be executed by output of sound.

Furthermore, the information processing terminal 10 can recognize atwhich position in the operation region the hand H of the user U exists,and can output information corresponding to the operation region inwhich the hand H of the user U is positioned. Here, in the exampleillustrated in FIG. 1, the output of information can be executed byoutput of sound. In the following description, an example in which theinformation processing terminal 10 is implemented by headphones orearphones will be described.

2. Embodiment 2.1. Functional Configuration Examples

Next, an example of a functional configuration of the informationprocessing terminal 10 according to the present embodiment will bedescribed. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of the information processing terminal 10 according to thepresent embodiment. The information processing terminal 10 includes aninput unit 110, a recognition unit 120, a control unit 130, an outputunit 140, a storage unit 150, and a communication unit 160.

(Input unit 110)

The input unit 110 receives various types of information. The input unit110 receives an operation input from a user, for example. The input unit110 may include a touch pad on a housing surface and may receive a touchoperation from the user, for example. The input unit 110 may detectcontact made by an operation body with the touch pad. Furthermore, theinput unit 110 may include a proximity sensor and detect an operationbody in the real space. Hereinafter, a region used for the operation inthe region where the input unit 110 can detect the operation body isalso referred to as an operation region.

Note that the input unit 110 may include a microphone for inputtingexternal sound. The external-sound signal input by the input unit 110through the microphone can be used for an external sound removalprocess. The information received by the input unit 110 is transmittedto the recognition unit 120.

(Recognition Unit 120)

The recognition unit 120 executes various recognition processes based onthe information transmitted from the input unit 110. The recognitionunit 120 recognizes that a predetermined operation is being executed.Furthermore, the recognition unit 120 has a gesture recognitionfunction. The recognition unit 120 can recognize various operations suchas sliding operation on the touch pad or execution of a gesture on thereal space that can be detected by the proximity sensor based on adetection result of the touch pad or the proximity sensor. Therecognition result obtained by the recognition unit 120 is transmittedto the control unit 130 as a recognition status.

(Control Unit 130)

The control unit 130 controls individual components of the informationprocessing terminal 10.

Furthermore, the control unit 130 may dynamically control output of thenotification information related to the function corresponding to thegesture based on the recognition status of the operation body that isexecuting the gesture in the operation region. Here, as described above,the recognition status of the operation body is the recognition resultobtained by the recognition unit 120. The control unit 130 controls theoutput of the notification information according to various statusesincluded in the recognition status. Here, the notification informationis information related to a gesture being executed. The informationrelated to the gesture being executed is, for example, information thatallows the user U to understand the type of the gesture recognized bythe recognition unit 120. The notification information is a notificationsound, for example.

Although the following will describe an example in which thenotification information is a notification sound, the notificationinformation may be expressed by any information other than the soundinformation as a matter of course. Examples of the notificationinformation include vibration information. The control unit 130 controlsthe output of the notification information based on the recognitionstatus, enabling the user U to confirm whether the gesture is recognizedas intended by the user U in a region visually unrecognizable by theuser U.

Furthermore, the control unit 130 may control the output of thenotification information related to the operation region in which theoperation body is positioned based on the position of the operation bodyindicated by the recognition status. Here, examples of the notificationinformation related to the operation region include informationindicating whether the operation body is positioned in the operationregion and information indicating in which operation region theoperation body is positioned when there is a plurality of operationregions. As described above, the following will describe an example inwhich the notification information related to the operation region isthe notification sound related to the operation region. The control unit130 controls execution of a function corresponding to the operationregion in which the operation body is positioned. Here, examples of thefunction include an output volume control function, a track feedfunction, and a track return function. The control unit 130 controls theoutput of the information of the operation region where the operationbody is positioned, enabling the user U to confirm whether the user U issuccessfully performing the operation at the position intended by theuser U.

Specific examples of the notification sound output control performed bythe control unit 130 will be described below.

(Output Unit 140)

The output unit 140 outputs various types of information under thecontrol of the control unit 130. The output unit 140 outputs sound by adriver unit, for example. An example of the sound output from the outputunit 140 is the above-described notification sound. In addition, theoutput unit 140 executes a predetermined function under the control ofthe control unit 130. In addition, the output unit 140 may include anactuator and output the notification information by vibration.

(Storage Unit 150)

The storage unit 150 stores various types of information related tooperations of the information processing terminal 10. The storage unit150 may store sound source information used as a notification sound, forexample.

(Communication Unit 160)

The communication unit 160 performs information communication with otherdevices. For example, the communication unit 160 receives soundinformation from other devices. The sound information received by thecommunication unit 160 is output to the user U by the output unit 140via the control unit 130, for example. Furthermore, examples of theother devices include a music player, and a smartphone.

2.2. Specific Examples

Next, a specific example of the output control of the notification soundperformed by the information processing terminal 10 according to thepresent embodiment will be described.

2.2.1. Specific Example 1

First, the control unit 130 may dynamically control the output of thenotification sound based on the type of the gesture being executed bythe operation body indicated by the recognition status. Here, the typeof gesture refers to a type determined based on how the operation bodyhas moved in the operation region, for example. In the case ofheadphones equipped with touch pads, examples of the type of gestureinclude a slide movement in a horizontal direction of an operation bodyon the touch pad and a rotational movement drawing a circle. Notifyingthe user U of the type of the gesture recognized by the recognition unit120 by using the notification sound will enable the user U to confirmwhether the gesture currently being executed is recognized by theinformation processing terminal 10 as an intended gesture. Furthermore,in a case where there is a function related to the informationprocessing terminal 10 to be executed corresponding to the type ofgesture, the user U can also confirm whether the gesture correspondingto the function intended to be executed is recognized.

Hereinafter, an example of output control of the notification soundbased on the type of the gesture, performed by the control unit 130according to the present embodiment, will be described with reference toFIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the outputcontrol of a notification sound based on a type of a gesture, performedby the control unit 130 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 3illustrates the information processing terminal 10 being headphones wornon the user U.

In the left illustration of FIG. 3, a hand H of the user U, which is anoperation body, moves in the horizontal direction (flick movement) onthe touch pad. With an indication that the hand H of the user U ismoving in the horizontal direction according to the recognition status,the control unit 130 controls the output unit 140 to output anotification sound corresponding to the movement in the horizontaldirection.

In the right illustration of FIG. 3, the hand H of the user U makes arotational movement on the touch pad. With an indication that the hand Hof the user U is in a rotational movement according to the recognitionstatus, the control unit 130 controls the output unit 140 to output anotification sound corresponding to the movement in the horizontaldirection. Here, the notification sound output by the output unit 140 isdifferent from the notification sound output in the left illustration ofFIG. 3.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 3, the notification sound is outputbased on the type of the gesture being executed. Alternatively, thecontrol unit 130 may control the output of the notification sound basedon how many fingers of the hand H of the user U are being used inexecuting the gesture. With this control, even during the execution ofthe similar gesture, it is possible to output the notification soundcorresponding to how many fingers are being used, enabling confirmationwhether the gesture is recognized with the fingers as many as intendedby the user U.

Note that the control unit 130 may control to output the notificationsound further based on a moving speed of the operation body that isexecuting the gesture. This control makes it possible to confirm thedegree of change in a setting value and to execute more specificoperation. Furthermore, in a case where the type of the gesture beingexecuted cannot be specified, the control unit 130 may control to outputa notification sound corresponding to the preliminary motion of thegesture until the type can be specified, and may control to output thenotification sound based on the type of the gesture being executed at astage where the type is successfully specified.

Hereinafter, an example of output control of the notification soundbased on how many fingers of the user are being used, performed by thecontrol unit 130 according to the present embodiment, will be describedwith reference to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example ofoutput control of the notification sound based on how many fingers ofthe user are being used, performed by the control unit 130 according tothe present embodiment. FIG. 4 illustrates the information processingterminal 10 being headphones worn on the user U.

In the left illustration of FIG. 4, one finger of the hand H of the userU moves in the horizontal direction (flick movement) on the touch pad.Here, with an indication that the gesture is being executed with twofingers according to the recognition status, the control unit 130controls the output unit 140 to output the notification soundcorresponding to the movement in the horizontal direction.

In the right illustration of FIG. 4, two fingers of the hand H of theuser U move in the horizontal direction on the touch pad. Here, with anindication that the gesture is being executed with two fingers accordingto the recognition status, the control unit 130 controls the output unit140 to output the notification sound corresponding to the movement inthe horizontal direction. Here, the notification sound output by theoutput unit 140 is different from the notification sound output in theleft illustration of FIG. 4.

In this manner, the notification sound to be output changes based on thetype of gesture being executed and how many fingers are being used inthe execution of the gesture. Note that the control unit 130 may outputthe notification sound only in a case where the fingers of the user U asthe operation body are as many as a predetermined number by therecognition status. For example, in the case of the example illustratedin FIG. 4, the control unit 130 may output the notification sound onlyin a case where it is indicated that the gesture is being executed withtwo fingers by the recognition status, for example, only while the touchpad is continuously touched with two fingers. This enables the user U tomore precisely grasp how many fingers are being recognized.

Here, when the operation body moves in the operation region, the controlunit 130 may dynamically control the output of the notification soundbased on a moving direction of the operation body indicated by therecognition status. Specifically, the control unit 130 may control tochange the output mode of the notification sound based on the movingdirection of the operation body indicated by the recognition status.Examples of the output mode of the notification sound here includefrequency, pitch, density, volume of the notification sound. With thenotification sound output performed based on the moving direction of theoperation body, the user U can confirm whether the operation body ismoved as intended by the user U.

Here, an example of output control of the notification sound based onthe moving direction of the operation body by the control unit 130according to the present embodiment will be described with reference toFIG. 5 to 7. FIGS. 5 to 7 are diagrams illustrating an example of outputcontrol of a notification sound based on the moving direction of anoperation body, performed by the control unit 130 according to thepresent embodiment.

FIG. 5 illustrates a graph G1 representing a change in the notificationsound based on the moving direction of the operation body. Asillustrated in the graph G1, for example, it is allowable to set suchthat the pitch of the notification sound gradually increases as theoperation body moves rightward while the pitch of the notification soundgradually decreases as the operation body moves leftward. In addition,as illustrated in the graph G1, for example, it is allowable to set suchthat the density of the sound output as the notification sound graduallyincreases as the operation body moves upward while the density of thesound output as the notification sound gradually decreases as theoperation body moves downward. When the operation region is indicated asa region PR, the pitch or density of the notification sound may bedetermined based on the position of the operation body in the region PR.The control unit 130 may output the notification sound following themovement of the operation body.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the information processing terminal 10 beingheadphones worn on the user U. Here, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when therecognition unit 120 recognizes that the operation body is moving fromthe left side to the right side in the figure (from the rear side to thefront side in practice) of the touch pad, the control unit 130 graduallyincreases the pitch of the notification sound. Furthermore, asillustrated in FIG. 7, in a case where the recognition unit 120recognizes that the operation body is moving from the lower side to theupper side of the touch pad, the control unit 130 gradually increasesthe density of the notification sound.

In addition, the frequency, volume, and the like of the notificationsound may be determined based on the moving direction of the operationbody. In particular, when the notification sound includes a single soundsource, the pitch and density of the notification sound may bedetermined based on the moving direction of the operation body. With thenotification sound output with a single sound source, the user U canmore easily grasp the change in the notification sound. For example,with a change in the number of repetitions of the output of a singlesound source at the time of the operation of changing a predeterminedsetting value, the user U can more specifically grasp how the settingvalue has changed.

Here, an example of a change in pitch and density of the notificationsound by a single sound source according to the present embodiment willbe described with reference to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustratingan example of a change in pitch and density of a notification sound bythe single sound source according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8includes graphs G2 to G4. In the graph G2, a single sound sourcerepeatedly appears. In addition, in the graph G3, a single sound sourcehaving a higher density than that of the graph G2 repeatedly appears. Inaddition, in the graph G3, the pitch of the single sound sourcedecreases as compared with the graphs G2 and G3.

2.2.2. Specific Example 2

Meanwhile, there exists a device such as a smartphone having a lockscreen on which a function of unlocking the screen is executed when anoperation body moves by a predetermined distance so as to unlock thelock screen by performing a swipe operation by a predetermined distanceon a touch panel. Similarly, in the information processing terminal 10according to the present embodiment, the control unit 130 maydynamically control the output of the notification sound based on acomparison between the moving distance of the operation body and apredetermined threshold. Specifically, the control unit 130 maydynamically control the output of the notification sound based on adifference between the moving distance of the operation body and apredetermined threshold. Here, the moving distance of the operation bodyis a moving distance of the operation body in the operation region, andthe predetermined threshold may be a preliminarily defined value.

Here, with reference to FIG. 9, an example of output control of anotification sound based on a comparison between a moving distance of anoperation body and a predetermined threshold, performed by the controlunit 130 according to the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 9is a diagram illustrating an example of output control of a notificationsound based on a comparison between a moving distance of an operationbody and a predetermined threshold, performed by the control unit 130according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 illustrates a graph G5indicating that the operation body has moved a predetermined distance ormore and a graph G6 indicating the pitch of the notification soundcorresponding to the graph G5. In addition, FIG. 9 illustrates a graphG7 indicating that the operation body stops moving before moving apredetermined distance or more and a graph G8 indicating the pitch ofthe notification sound corresponding to the graph G7.

In the graphs G5 and G7, the horizontal axis represents time and thevertical axis represents a position based on an initial position of theoperation body. In the graphs G6 and G8, the horizontal axis representstime, and the vertical axis represents the pitch of the notificationsound. As illustrated in the graphs G5 and G7, the pitch of thenotification sound may gradually increase together with the movement ofthe operation body, and the pitch of the notification sound maysimilarly increase even after the moving distance exceeds apredetermined threshold. Note that the control unit 130 may execute afunction related to the information processing terminal 10 in a casewhere the moving distance of the operation body exceeds a predeterminedthreshold.

In contrast, as illustrated in the graphs G6 and G8, while the pitch ofthe notification sound gradually increases together with the movement ofthe operation body, the operation ends before the moving distanceexceeds a predetermined threshold. In such a case, as illustrated in thegraph G8, the change in pitch of the notification sound may be thechange from rise to fall. Here, the pitch of the notification sound maybe substantially the same as the pitch of the notification sound at themoment when the operation body starts the operation. Note that thecontrol unit 130 does not execute a similar function because the movingdistance of the operation body does not exceed a predeterminedthreshold.

In comparison of the graph G6 and the graph G8, the pitch of thenotification sound changes differently depending on whether the movingdistance of the operation body exceeds a predetermined threshold. Thismakes it possible for the user U to intuitively grasp whether thecorresponding function has been executed. Note that the output controlof the notification sound described with reference to FIG. 9 is merelyan example, and is not limited to such an example.

2.2.3. Specific Example 3

Furthermore, the control unit 130 may control the output of the soundrelated to the operation region in which the operation body ispositioned, based on the position of the operation body indicated by therecognition status. That is, the control unit 130 may give feedbackregarding the position of the operation body to the user U based on theposition of the operation body indicated by the recognition status. Forexample, in a case where there is a plurality of operation regions, thecontrol unit 130 may control the output of sound based on in whichoperation region the operation body is positioned.

Here, an example of the operation region according to the presentembodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is adiagram illustrating an example of an operation region according to thepresent embodiment. FIG. 10 illustrates the information processingterminal 10 being headphones worn on the user U, together with anoperable region OR and a non-operable region NOR on a touch pad of theinformation processing terminal 10. Here, the operable region OR is acircular operation region where operation can be performed by theoperation body and visually unrecognizable by the user U. FIG. 10illustrates a case where there is a plurality of operable regions OR.When an operation is performed by an operation body in any of theoperable regions OR, the control unit 130 may control execution of afunction related to the information processing terminal 10 correspondingto the operable region OR. In contrast, the non-operable region NOR is aregion where operation cannot be performed by the operation body. Thearrangement and shapes of the operable region OR and the non-operableregion NOR are not limited to such an example, as a matter of course.

As described above, the operation regions may exist in plurality andindependently. In such a case, the control unit 130 may control theoutput of the sound corresponding to the operation region in which theoperation body is positioned. Here, the sound to be output may be theabove-described notification sound, for example. Here, an example ofoutput control of the notification sound corresponding to the operationregion in which the operation body is positioned, performed by thecontrol unit 130 according to the present embodiment, will be describedwith reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an exampleof output control of the notification sound corresponding to theoperation region in which the operation body is positioned, performed bythe control unit 130 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 11illustrates the information processing terminal 10 being headphones wornon the user U, and operation regions R1 to R4. The operation regions R1to R4 are regions similar to the operable region OR illustrated in FIG.10.

In the left illustration of FIG. 11, the hand H of the user U as theoperation body is positioned in the operation region R1. With anindication that the hand H of the user U is positioned in the operationregion R1 according to the recognition status, the control unit 130controls the output unit 140 to output the notification soundcorresponding to the operation region R1. In the right illustration ofFIG. 11, the hand H of the user U as the operation body is positioned inthe operation region R2. With an indication that the hand H of the userU is positioned in the operation region R2 according to the recognitionstatus, the control unit 130 controls the output unit 140 to output thenotification sound corresponding to the operation region R2. Here, thenotification sound output by the output unit 140 is different from thenotification sound output on the left illustration in FIG. 11. In thismanner, in presence of a plurality of operation regions, the user U cangrasp in which operation region the operation body is positioned withoutvisual recognition.

Meanwhile, since the user U cannot visually recognize the operationregion, there is a possibility that the operation body unintentionallymoves to the outside of the operation region. To handle this, in a casewhere the operation body is predicted to move to the outside of theoperation region by the recognition status, the control unit 130 mayoutput a notification sound for notifying the prediction of the movementto the outside of the operation region.

Here, with reference to FIG. 12, an example of output control of anotification sound when an operation body is predicted to move to theoutside of the operation region, performed by the control unit 130according to the present embodiment, will be described. FIG. 12 is adiagram illustrating an example of output control of a notificationsound when an operation body is predicted to move to the outside of theoperation region, performed by the control unit 130 according to thepresent embodiment. FIG. 12 illustrates the information processingterminal 10 being headphones worn on the user U, and operation regionsR1 to R4.

In the left illustration of FIG. 12, the hand H of the user U as theoperation body is positioned in the operation region R1, similarly tothe left illustration of FIG. 11. Here, the control unit 130 controlsthe output unit 140 to output a notification sound corresponding to theoperation region R1. In the right illustration of FIG. 12, the hand H ofthe user U as the operation body is positioned in the operation regionR2, which is moving outward from the operation region R2. In such astate, the control unit 130 controls to output a notification sound fornotifying that the operation body is predicted to move to the outside ofthe operation region R2. The notification sound output in the rightillustration of FIG. 12 may be a sound for warning that movement to theoutside of the operation region is predicted. In this manner, the user Ucan correct the position of the operation body even in a case where theoperation body is about to move to the outside of the operation region.Incidentally, it is also allowable to determine that the operation bodyis predicted to move to the outside of the operation region when theoperation body is positioned at an end in the operation regionregardless of the moving direction of the operation body.

2.2.4. Specific Example 4

The example in the above has described a case of the output control ofthe notification sound in a case where the number of operation regionsis one. Alternatively, the control unit 130 may control the output ofthe notification sound related to a plurality of operation regions.Specifically, the control unit 130 may output a notification soundcorresponding to each of operation regions based on the positionalrelationship between the operation body and each of the operationregions. For example, the control unit 130 may determine volume, pitch,frequency, and the like at the time of outputting the notification soundcorresponding to each of the operation regions based on the positionalrelationship between the operation body and each of the operationregions. The volume, pitch, frequency, and the like of the notificationsound may be determined based on the distance to each of the operationregions, for example. Furthermore, the control unit 130 may control theoutput of the notification sound so as to provide a guidance to apredetermined operation region.

Here, an example of output control of the notification soundcorresponding to each of the operation regions, performed by the controlunit 130 according to the present embodiment, will be described withreference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating an example ofoutput control of the notification sound corresponding to each ofoperation regions, performed by the control unit 130 according to thepresent embodiment. FIG. 13 illustrates the information processingterminal 10 being headphones worn on the user U, and operable regionsOR1 and OR2.

The control unit 130 controls to output the notification sound such thatthe shorter the distance between the operation body and each of theoperable regions OR1 and OR2, the higher the volume of the notificationsound corresponding to each of the operable regions OR1 and OR2. In theexample of FIG. 13, the position where the hand H of the user U is incontact with the touch pad is a position closer to the operable regionOR2 rather than the operable region OR1. Accordingly, the control unit130 controls to output the notification sound corresponding to theoperable region OR2 at a volume higher than that of the operable regionOR1.

In this manner, with a configuration to output the notification soundsrelated to the plurality of operation regions based on the positionalrelationship between each of operation regions and the operation body,the user U can grasp the relative positional relationship between theoperation body and the plurality of operation regions.

In a case where the operation region includes the real space and theinput unit 110 detects the operation body by the proximity sensor, thecontrol unit 130 may output a notification sound corresponding to eachof the operation regions based on the distance in the real space betweenthe operation body and each of the operation regions.

Here, an example of output volume control of the notification soundcorresponding to each of the operation regions, performed by the controlunit 130 according to the present embodiment, will be described withreference to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example ofoutput volume control of the notification sound corresponding to each ofthe operation regions, performed by the control unit 130 according tothe present embodiment. FIG. 14 illustrates a graph BG in which thehorizontal axis represents the position and the vertical axis representsthe volume, and including boundary points LP and RP between theoperation region and other regions. The boundary points LP and RP areboundary points with different operation regions, and a portion betweenthe boundary points LP and RP is not an operation region. Furthermore,an intermediate point M is a point separated from the boundary point LPand the boundary point RP with an equal distance.

The graph BG illustrates volume LB of the notification soundcorresponding to the boundary point LP and volume RB of the notificationsound corresponding to the boundary point RP in a case where theoperation body is positioned between the boundary points LP and RP. Asillustrated in graph BG, the control unit 130 controls to output thenotification sound such that the closer the position of the operationbody is to each of the boundary points, the louder the volume. Note thatthe sum of the volume LB of the notification sound corresponding to theboundary point LP and the volume RB of the notification soundcorresponding to the boundary point RP is set to be constant so that theuser U can easily recognize the volume change in each of thenotification sounds. When the operation body is positioned at theintermediate point M, the volume of each of the notification sounds ishalf the maximum value.

In this manner, the volume of the plurality of notification soundscorresponding to the distance between the operation body and theplurality of operation regions changes simultaneously, whereby the userU can more intuitively grasp the position of the operation body.

Meanwhile, the control unit 130 may control to change the information tobe notified by the notification sound based on the positionalrelationship between the operation body and a group of the plurality ofoperation regions. For example, in a case where the operation body ispositioned between a plurality of operation regions, the control unit130 may output a notification sound as illustrated in FIG. 14. On theother hand, for example, in a case where the operation body ispositioned in a region outside the region where the plurality ofoperation regions exists, moving the hand H of the user U to the regionwhere the plurality of operation regions exists can be prioritized.Therefore, the control unit 130 may output a notification sound thatnotifies that the operation body is positioned outside the plurality ofoperation regions.

Here, a positional relationship between an operation body and aplurality of operation regions and output control related to thepositional relationship according to the present embodiment will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustratingan example of a positional relationship between an operation body and aplurality of operation regions according to the present embodiment. FIG.15 illustrates the hand H of the user U and the operable regions OR1 andOR2.

In the left illustration of FIG. 15, the hand H of the user U ispositioned between the operable regions OR1 and OR2, and thus, thecontrol unit 130 controls to output a notification sound correspondingto each of the operation regions based on the positional relationshipbetween the operation body and each of the operation regions. In themiddle illustration of FIG. 15, the hand H of the user U is positionedin the operable region OR1, and thus, the control unit 130 controls tooutput only the notification sound corresponding to the operable regionOR1. In the right illustration of FIG. 15, the hand H of the user U ispositioned outside the operable regions OR1 and OR2, and thus, thecontrol unit 130 controls to output a notification sound that notifiesthat the hand H is positioned outside the operable regions OR1 and OR2,which is different from the notification sound output at the position ofthe operation body in the left illustration of FIG. 15.

As described above, with the change in the notification sound outputbased on the positional relationship between the operation body and theplurality of operation regions, the user U can operate the terminal morecomfortably.

Incidentally, the control unit 130 may notify the user U by sound onlywhen the operation body is positioned outside the operable regions OR1and OR2. This would make it possible to reliably warn the user U in acase where the operation body significantly deviates from a plurality ofoperation regions. The notification can be applied as a warning withhigher reliability even when the information processing terminal 10 is ahead mounted display (HMD).

2.2.5. Specific Example 5

Meanwhile, when the user U performs an operation with the operation bodyin a visually unrecognizable region, operability can be improved with acapability of grasping a region (or point) as a reference. For example,when the user U cannot grasp the position of own hand H, returning theposition of the hand H to the region as reference would enable graspingthe position of the hand H for a moment. Therefore, in a case where theoperation body is recognized as being positioned in a reference regiondefined as a reference in the operation by the operation body, thecontrol unit 130 may control the output of the notification soundcorresponding to the reference region.

Here, an example of output control of the notification sound related tothe reference region, performed by the control unit 130 according to thepresent embodiment, will be described with reference to FIG. 16. FIG. 16is a diagram illustrating an example of output control of thenotification sound related to the reference region, performed by thecontrol unit 130 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 16illustrates the information processing terminal 10 being headphones wornon the user U, and a reference region SR. In FIG. 16, the referenceregion SR is a preliminarily defined region and is a region suitable asan operation starting region.

In the left illustration of FIG. 16, the hand H of the user U as theoperation body moves (flick movement) in the horizontal direction on thetouch pad. The control unit 130 grasps that the hand H of the user U ispositioned outside the reference region SR. Here, since the hand H ofthe user U is not positioned in the reference region, the notificationsound is not output.

In contrast, in the right illustration of FIG. 16, the hand H of user Uis positioned in the reference region SR. With an indication that thehand H of the user U is positioned in the reference region SR accordingto the recognition status, the control unit 130 controls to output anotification sound corresponding to the reference region SR.

In this manner, with the control by the control unit 130 to output thenotification sound corresponding to the reference region SR, theoperation can be started at the reference point, enabling the operationwith higher accuracy.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 16, the control unit 130 does notoutput the notification sound when the operation body is not positionedin the reference region SR. Alternatively, however, the control unit mayoutput a notification sound as a guidance to the reference region SR.For example, when performing a slide operation continuously in apredetermined direction, with a procedure in which the operation bodyonce performs the slide operation in the predetermined direction,thereafter the operation body returns to the reference region SR andthen performs the slide operation in the same direction again, it wouldbe possible to avoid a situation in which the operation body deviatesfrom the operation region, enabling operations with higher reliability.Note that the guidance to the reference region SR by the notificationsound is implemented by the methods illustrated in FIGS. 13 to 15, forexample. In addition, the reference region SR is not limited to the sizeas illustrated in FIG. 16.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 16, the reference region SR exists ata preliminarily defined position. However, for the user U having a habitof performing an operation only at a biased portion in the operationregion, the reference region SR would not necessarily facilitate theoperation. Therefore, the position of the reference region SR may bedetermined depending on the user U. Specifically, regarding thereference region SR, the position where the operation is first startedby the user U in the operation region may be determined as the referenceregion SR. This makes it possible to implement more comfortableoperation corresponding to the habit of the operation of each of theusers U.

Note that the “portion where the operation is first started” refers to aposition where an operation body for executing one function ispositioned first on the operation region, for example. Alternatively,the “portion where the operation is first started” may be a positionwhere the operation body for continuously performing a plurality ofoperations is positioned first on the operation region, for example. Thedefinition of the “portion where the operation is first started” is notlimited to such an example.

Here, an example of output control of the notification sound related toa reference region whose position is arbitrarily determined, performedby the control unit 130 according to the present embodiment, will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 17. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustratingan example of output control of the notification sound related to areference region whose position is arbitrarily determined, performed bythe control unit 130 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 17illustrates the information processing terminal 10 being headphones wornon the user U.

In the left illustration of FIG. 17, the hand H of the user U as theoperation body first touches the touch pad. At this point, there is noreference region SR. Here, the control unit 130 determines the positionfirst touched by the hand H of the user U as the reference region SR.

In contrast, the right illustration of FIG. 17 includes the referenceregion SR determined by control unit 130. Here, with an indication thatthe hand H of the user U is positioned in the reference region SRaccording to the recognition status, the control unit 130 controls tooutput a notification sound corresponding to the reference region SR.

In this manner, with a configuration of determining the reference regionSR by the control unit 130 when the user U starts an operation using theoperation region, it is possible to implement comfortable operationcorresponding to the habit of each of the users U.

2.2.6. Specific Example 6

Although the above-described specific examples are cases where theinformation processing terminal 10 is implemented as headphones and theoperation region exists on the touch pad, the information processingterminal 10 may be implemented by earphones as described above. Theearphones being the information processing terminal 10 may include atouch sensor or a proximity sensor as the input unit 110. Because of itssmaller size compared to the headphones, the earphones may be difficultto operate with a touch pad and can be suitable for operation in spaceby a proximity sensor. Hereinafter, an example in which the earphonesinclude a proximity sensor as the input unit 110 will be described. Theposition of the operation body in the space is recognized by theproximity sensor.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an example of a case where theoperation region according to the present embodiment exists in a space.FIG. 18 illustrates an information processing terminal 10 beingearphones, and operation regions AR1 to AR4 in space.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, the operation regions AR1 to AR4 exist in athree-dimensional space, not on a touch pad surface. The control unit130 may control the output of the notification sound in a case where theoperation body exists in any of the operation regions AR1 to AR4.Furthermore, the control unit 130 may dynamically control the output ofthe notification information related to the function corresponding to agesture being executed in the operation regions AR1 to AR4 based on therecognition status of the operation body that is executing the gesture.

Furthermore, in a case where the operation region exists in the space,the distance between the operation body and the information processingterminal 10 can be detected by the proximity sensor. Therefore, in acase where the distance between the operation body and the informationprocessing terminal 10 is indicated as the recognition status, thecontrol unit 130 may control the output of the notification sound basedon the distance.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of execution control offunctions related to the information processing terminal 10 based on adistance between an operation body and the information processingterminal 10 in a case where the distance is indicated as a recognitionstatus, performed by the control unit 130 according to the presentembodiment. FIG. 19 illustrates the information processing terminal 10being earphones, and the hand H of the user U.

As in the left illustration of FIG. 19, the hand H of the user U and theinformation processing terminal 10 are separated from each other by adistance D3. In a case where the recognition status indicates that thehand H of the user U has approached the information processing terminal10 by a distance D4 as in the right illustration of FIG. 19, that is, ina case where the recognition status indicates that the gesture ofbringing the hand H of the user U closer to the information processingterminal 10 is being executed, the control unit 130 controls the outputof a notification sound based on the change in the distance from thedistance D3 to the distance D4. In an example of FIG. 19, when thedistance between the hand H of the user U and the information processingterminal 10 changes from the distance D3 to the distance D4, the controlunit 130 increases the volume of the notification sound output by theinformation processing terminal 10.

Alternatively, the control unit 130 may control the output of thenotification sound based on whether the operation body exists in theoperation region. Specifically, the control unit 130 may control theoutput of the notification sound based on whether the operation bodyexists in a space detectable by the input unit 110.

Here, an exemplary case where the operation region by the control unit130 according to the present embodiment exists in a space will bedescribed with reference to FIG. 20. FIG. 20 illustrates the informationprocessing terminal 10 being earphones, and operation regions AR1 to AR4in space.

In the left illustration of FIG. 20, the hand H of the user U being theoperation body exists outside the space of the operation region. With anindication that the hand H of the user U exists outside the space of theoperation region, the control unit 130 controls not to output anotification sound.

In contrast, in the right illustration of FIG. 20, the hand H of theuser U is positioned in the space of the operation region. With anindication that the hand H of the user U is positioned in the space ofthe operation region according to the recognition status, the controlunit 130 controls to output a notification sound corresponding to thereference region SR.

In this manner, it is possible to confirm whether the operation body ispositioned in the space being the operation region, enabling the user Uto grasp the operation region in the visually unrecognizable space.

The specific examples of the output control of the notification sound bythe control unit 130 have been described above. Although the above areexamples in which the information processing terminal 10 is implementedas headphones or earphones, the present disclosure is not limited tosuch an example. The information processing terminal 10 may be, forexample, an in-vehicle touch panel. While driving an automobile, it isdifficult to visually recognize a touch panel for performing variousoperations. At that time, the information processing terminal 10provided on the back of the steering wheel can notify information bynotification sound or vibration, enabling execution of variousoperations.

Furthermore, the information processing terminal 10 may be an autonomousmobile body or the like. During execution of a gesture operation towardthe autonomous mobile body by the user U, the autonomous mobile bodyappropriately performs feedback with a notification sound or vibration,enabling the user U to enjoy interaction with the autonomous mobile bodymore. Furthermore, the above technology is also applicable to a devicethat provides virtual reality (VR) content. The user U often cannotvisually recognize the controller or the like while using the VRcontent. Therefore, the user U can perform a more accurate operationwhile listening to the notification sound related to the operation ofthe controller.

3. Operation Examples

Next, with reference to FIGS. 21 to 23, a flow of operations related tothe output control of the notification sound, performed by the controlunit 130 according to the present embodiment, will be described.

First, with reference to FIG. 21, an example of a flow of operationsrelated to the output control of a notification sound based on acomparison between a moving distance of an operation body and apredetermined threshold, performed by the control unit 130 according tothe present embodiment, will be described. Referring to FIG. 21, first,the input unit 110 detects an operation body, and the recognition unit120 recognizes the position of the detected operation body (S101). Next,the control unit 130 controls to change the pitch and frequency of thenotification sound according to the moving distance of the operationbody based on the position of the operation body recognized in step S101(S102).

Next, when the moving distance of the operation body based on theposition of the operation body recognized in step S101 exceeds apredetermined threshold (S103: YES), the control unit 130 increases thefrequency of the notification sound (S104), and the informationprocessing terminal 10 ends the operation. In contrast, when the movingdistance of the operation body based on the position of the operationbody recognized in step S101 does not exceed the predetermined threshold(S103: NO) and the operation by the operation body has not ended (S105:NO), the process returns to step S101.

As another pattern, when the moving distance of the operation body basedon the position of the operation body recognized in step S101 does notexceed the predetermined threshold (S103: NO) and the operation by theoperation body has ended (S105: YES), the control unit 130 decreases thefrequency of the notification sound (S106), and the informationprocessing terminal 10 ends the operation.

Next, an example of a flow of operations related to the output controlof the notification sound based on the type of gesture, performed by thecontrol unit 130 according to the present embodiment, will be describedwith reference to FIG. 22. Referring to FIG. 22, first, the control unit130 executes preprocessing in a recognition process of the operationbody (S201). Next, when the operation body is positioned within anoperation range (S202: YES), the control unit 130 starts receiving agesture (S203).

Next, when the recognition unit 120 has not recognized a preliminarymotion of the gesture (S204: NO), the process returns to step S202. Incontrast, when the recognition unit 120 has recognized the preliminarymotion of the gesture (S204: YES), and has recognized that the gestureis continuously executed after the preliminary motion of the gesture(S205: YES), the control unit 130 controls the output of thenotification sound recognized in step S205 (S206), and the informationprocessing terminal 10 ends the operation.

As another pattern, when the recognition unit 120 has recognized thepreliminary motion of the gesture (S204: YES), and has not recognizedthe continuous execution of the gesture after the preliminary motion ofthe gesture (S205: NO), the control unit 130 ends the reception of thegesture (S207), and the information processing terminal 10 ends theoperation.

Next, an example of a flow of operations related to the output controlof the notification sound corresponding to the operation region,performed by the control unit 130 according to the present embodiment,will be described with reference to FIG. 23. Referring to FIG. 23,first, when the operation body exists in an operation region (S301:YES), the control unit 130 controls to output a notification soundcorresponding to the operation region (S302), and the control unit 130ends the operation.

In contrast, when the operation body does not exist in the operationregion (S301: NO) and a plurality of operation regions exists (S303:YES), the control unit 130 controls to change the pitch and frequency ofthe notification sound according to the distance of the operation bodyto each of the operation regions (S304), and the control unit 130 endsthe operation. As another pattern, when the operation body does notexist in the operation region (S301: NO) and there is only one operationregion (S303: NO), the control unit 130 controls to change the pitch andfrequency of the notification sound according to the distance of theoperation body to the one operation region (S305), and the control unit130 ends the operation.

4. Hardware Configuration Example

Next, a hardware configuration example of an information processingterminal 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will bedescribed. FIG. 24 is a block diagram illustrating a hardwareconfiguration example of the information processing terminal 10according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG.24, the information processing terminal 10 includes, for example, aprocessor 871, ROM 872, RAM 873, a host bus 874, a bridge 875, anexternal bus 876, an interface 877, an input device 878, an outputdevice 879, storage 880, a drive 881, a connection port 882, and acommunication device 883. Note that the hardware configurationillustrated here is an example, and part of the components may beomitted. In addition, components other than the components illustratedhere may be further included.

(Processor 871)

The processor 871 functions as an arithmetic processing device or acontrol device, for example, and controls the all or part of operationsof individual components based on various programs recorded in the ROM872, the RAM 873, the storage 880, or a removable recording medium 901.

(ROM 872 and RAM 873)

The ROM 872 is a means that stores a program loaded onto the processor871, data used for calculation, and the like. The RAM 873 temporarily orpermanently stores, for example, a program loaded onto the processor871, various parameters that appropriately change when the program isexecuted, and the like.

(Host Bus 874, Bridge 875, External Bus 876, and Interface 877)

The processor 871, the ROM 872, and the RAM 873 are interconnected viathe host bus 874 capable of high speed data transmission, for example.On the other hand, the host bus 874 is connected to the external bus 876having a relatively low data transmission speed via the bridge 875, forexample. In addition, the external bus 876 is connected to variouscomponents via the interface 877.

(Input Device 878)

Examples of the input device 878 include a mouse, a keyboard, a touchpanel, a button, a switch, and a lever. Furthermore, the input device878 can include a remote controller capable of transmitting a controlsignal using infrared rays or other radio waves. Furthermore, the inputdevice 878 includes a sound input device such as a microphone.

(Output Device 879)

The output device 879 is a device capable of visually or audiblynotifying the user of acquired information, and example of this includea display device such as a cathode ray tube (CRT), an LCD, or an organicEL, an audio output device such as a speaker or headphones, a printer, amobile phone, a facsimile, or the like. Furthermore, the output device879 according to the present disclosure includes various vibrationdevices capable of outputting tactile stimulation.

(Storage 880)

The storage 880 is a device for storing various types of data. Examplesof devices used as the storage 880 include a magnetic storage devicesuch as a hard disk drive (HDD), a semiconductor storage device, anoptical storage device, and a magneto-optical storage device.

(Drive 881)

The drive 881 is, for example, a device that reads information recordedon the removable recording medium 901 such as a magnetic disk, anoptical disk, a magneto-optical disk, or semiconductor memory, or writesinformation to the removable recording medium 901.

(Removable Recording Medium 901)

The removable recording medium 901 is, for example, a DVD medium, aBlu-ray (registered trademark) medium, an HD DVD medium, various typesof semiconductor storage media, or the like. The removable recordingmedium 901 may naturally be, for example, an IC card on which anon-contact IC chip is mounted, an electronic device, or the like.

(Connection port 882)

The connection port 882 is, for example, a port for connecting anexternal connection device 902 such as a universal serial bus (USB)port, an IEEE 1394 port, a small computer system interface (SCSI), anRS-232C port, or an optical audio terminal.

(External Connection Device 902)

The external connection device 902 is, for example, a printer, aportable music player, a digital camera, a digital video camera, an ICrecorder, or the like.

(Communication Device 883)

The communication device 883 is a communication device for connecting toa network, and is, for example, a communication card for wired orwireless LAN, Bluetooth (registered trademark), or wireless USB (WUSB),an optical communication router, an asymmetric digital subscriber line(ADSL) router, a modem for various communications, or the like.

5. Summary

As described above, the information processing terminal 10 according tothe present embodiment is capable of confirming success or failure of anoperation or performing a wider variety of operations in a regionvisually unrecognizable by the user.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure have beendescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, thetechnical scope of the present disclosure is not limited to suchexamples. It is obvious that a person having ordinary knowledge in thetechnical field of the present disclosure can conceive variousalterations or modifications within the scope of the technical ideadescribed in the claims, and it is naturally understood that these alsobelong to the technical scope of the present disclosure.

Furthermore, the effects described in the present specification aremerely illustrative or exemplary, and are not restrictive. That is, thetechnology according to the present disclosure can exhibit other effectsobvious to those skilled in the art from the description of the presentspecification together with or instead of the above effects.

Note that the following configurations also belong to the technicalscope of the present disclosure.

(1)

An information processing device comprising

a control unit that dynamically controls output of notificationinformation related to a function corresponding to a gesture regardingfunction execution of the device based on a recognition status of anoperation body that is executing the gesture in a predeterminedoperation region.

(2)

The information processing device according to (1),

wherein the notification information is a notification sound, and

the control unit dynamically controls output of the notification soundbased on the recognition status.

(3)

The information processing device according to (2),

wherein the recognition status is a moving direction of the operationbody, and

the control unit dynamically controls the output of the notificationsound based on the moving direction indicated by the recognition status.

(4)

The information processing device according to (3),

wherein the control unit controls to change one or both of a frequencyand a volume of the notification sound based on the moving direction ofthe operation body indicated by the recognition status.

(5)

The information processing device according to any one of (2) to (4),

wherein the recognition status is a type of the gesture being executedby the operation body, and

the control unit dynamically controls the output of the notificationsound based on the type indicated by the recognition status.

(6)

The information processing device according to (5),

wherein the recognition status is a preliminary motion of the gesture,and

the control unit dynamically controls the output of the notificationsound based on the preliminary motion indicated by the recognitionstatus.

(7)

The information processing device according to (6),

wherein, in a case where the type of the gesture is specified, thecontrol unit dynamically controls the output of the notification soundbased on the specified type indicated by the recognition status.

(8)

The information processing device according to any one of (2) to (7),

wherein the recognition status is a moving speed of the operation body,and

the control unit dynamically controls the output of the notificationsound based on the moving speed indicated by the recognition status.

(9)

The information processing device according to any one of (2) to (8),

wherein the operation body is a hand of a user.

(10)

The information processing device according to (9),

wherein the recognition status is represented by a status of how manyfingers of the hand of the user are being used, and

the control unit dynamically controls the output of the notificationsound based on the status of how many fingers are being used, indicatedby the recognition status.

(11)

The information processing device according to (10),

wherein the control unit dynamically controls the output of thenotification sound regarding the execution of the function correspondingto the status how many fingers are being used, indicated by therecognition status.

(12)

The information processing device according to any one of (2) to (11),

wherein the control unit dynamically controls output of the notificationsound formed with a single sound source, based on the recognitionstatus.

(13)

The information processing device according to (12),

wherein the control unit controls to change one or both of pitch anddensity of the notification sound formed with the single sound source,based on the recognition status.

(14)

The information processing device according to any one of (2) to (13),

wherein the recognition status is a moving distance of the operationbody, and

the control unit dynamically controls the output of the notificationsound based on a comparison between the moving distance indicated by therecognition status and a predetermined threshold.

(15)

The information processing device according to (14),

wherein the control unit dynamically controls the output of thenotification sound based on a difference between the moving distance andthe predetermined threshold.

(16)

An information processing method to be executed by a processor, theinformation processing method comprising

dynamically controlling output of notification information related to afunction corresponding to a gesture regarding function execution of adevice based on a recognition status of an operation body that isexecuting the gesture in a predetermined operation region.

(17)

A program for causing a computer to function as an informationprocessing device, the information processing device comprising

a control unit that dynamically controls output of notificationinformation related to a function corresponding to a gesture regardingfunction execution of the device based on a recognition status of anoperation body that is executing the gesture in a predeterminedoperation region.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   10 INFORMATION PROCESSING TERMINAL    -   110 INPUT UNIT    -   120 RECOGNITION UNIT    -   130 CONTROL UNIT    -   140 OUTPUT UNIT    -   150 STORAGE UNIT    -   160 COMMUNICATION UNIT

1. An information processing device comprising a control unit thatdynamically controls output of notification information related to afunction corresponding to a gesture regarding function execution of thedevice based on a recognition status of an operation body that isexecuting the gesture in a predetermined operation region.
 2. Theinformation processing device according to claim 1, wherein thenotification information is a notification sound, and the control unitdynamically controls output of the notification sound based on therecognition status.
 3. The information processing device according toclaim 2, wherein the recognition status is a moving direction of theoperation body, and the control unit dynamically controls the output ofthe notification sound based on the moving direction indicated by therecognition status.
 4. The information processing device according toclaim 3, wherein the control unit controls to change one or both of afrequency and a volume of the notification sound based on the movingdirection of the operation body indicated by the recognition status. 5.The information processing device according to claim 2, wherein therecognition status is a type of the gesture being executed by theoperation body, and the control unit dynamically controls the output ofthe notification sound based on the type indicated by the recognitionstatus.
 6. The information processing device according to claim 5,wherein the recognition status is a preliminary motion of the gesture,and the control unit dynamically controls the output of the notificationsound based on the preliminary motion indicated by the recognitionstatus.
 7. The information processing device according to claim 6,wherein, in a case where the type of the gesture is specified, thecontrol unit dynamically controls the output of the notification soundbased on the specified type indicated by the recognition status.
 8. Theinformation processing device according to claim 2, wherein therecognition status is a moving speed of the operation body, and thecontrol unit dynamically controls the output of the notification soundbased on the moving speed indicated by the recognition status.
 9. Theinformation processing device according to claim 2, wherein theoperation body is a hand of a user.
 10. The information processingdevice according to claim 9, wherein the recognition status isrepresented by a status of how many fingers of the hand of the user arebeing used, and the control unit dynamically controls the output of thenotification sound based on the status of how many fingers are beingused, indicated by the recognition status.
 11. The informationprocessing device according to claim 10, wherein the control unitdynamically controls the output of the notification sound regarding theexecution of the function corresponding to the status how many fingersare being used, indicated by the recognition status.
 12. The informationprocessing device according to claim 2, wherein the control unitdynamically controls output of the notification sound formed with asingle sound source, based on the recognition status.
 13. Theinformation processing device according to claim 12, wherein the controlunit controls to change one or both of pitch and density of thenotification sound formed with the single sound source, based on therecognition status.
 14. The information processing device according toclaim 2, wherein the recognition status is a moving distance of theoperation body, and the control unit dynamically controls the output ofthe notification sound based on a comparison between the moving distanceindicated by the recognition status and a predetermined threshold. 15.The information processing device according to claim 14, wherein thecontrol unit dynamically controls the output of the notification soundbased on a difference between the moving distance and the predeterminedthreshold.
 16. An information processing method to be executed by aprocessor, the information processing method comprising dynamicallycontrolling output of notification information related to a functioncorresponding to a gesture regarding function execution of a devicebased on a recognition status of an operation body that is executing thegesture in a predetermined operation region.
 17. A program for causing acomputer to function as an information processing device, theinformation processing device comprising a control unit that dynamicallycontrols output of notification information related to a functioncorresponding to a gesture regarding function execution of the devicebased on a recognition status of an operation body that is executing thegesture in a predetermined operation region.